Saint James School

ST. JAMES -- If it weren't for a moment of clarity, Dave Barr would have spent most of his life with sand between his toes. Upon graduation from Dartmouth College in 1948, Barr had a choice to make -- start his coaching career by moving to paradise or to Washington County and Saint James School. "I met with the headmaster from Saint James and he offered me a job and the chance to be the head football coach," Barr said. "I was also offered a job in Hawaii. I would have only been an assistant there.

SAINT JAMES - The Saint James School Choir will add another new venue to its already impressive list of concert halls. On Monday, March 30, the 23-member ensemble will perform at 6 p.m. at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage as part of this year's "Music in Our Schools Month" celebration. The event is free to the public. The doors will open at 5:30 p.m. "It is quite an honor to be selected to perform at the Kennedy Center," said Barbara Wischmeier, Saint James School Choir director and chair of the fine arts department.

ST. JAMES - Four students at Saint James School were honored as National Merit Commended Scholars. Sixth-formers Ryan Duncan, Sarah Henney, Olubanke Martins and Caroline Salisbury were awarded certificates. These students placed among the top 5 percent of more than 1.5 million students who took the 2007 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

ST. JAMES - For their last night on campus, Saint James School's class of 2008 spent time at a teacher's house Saturday before going to Waffle House at midnight. Maura McCormack, of Hagerstown, said she and her classmates went to the restaurant to talk about moments some of them have shared together for five years. On Sunday, they shared one last moment together. The 42 members of the graduating class of 2008 received their diplomas during a commencement ceremony at the boarding school's campus.

HAGERSTOWN - For high school students who audition and are selected for the Saint James School Choir, the experience will provide them with some unique opportunities. The 24-member choir recently went on tour, which is usually scheduled during spring break. This year they headed to Florida, where they averaged one performance a day on nontravel days during their 10-day trip. Their performances were concerts, at masses or morning prayer services, said Barbara Wischmeier, choirmaster.